Part to the power of the universe

CHAPTER 3

 THE FIRST BREATH OF CELESTIAL ENERGY

At four in the morning, while the city slept, Xuan Tian began rebuilding his cultivation.

He sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his spine straight and his hands resting on his knees.

The Celestial Origin Scripture was not an ordinary cultivation technique. It had been designed to gather energy from any environment, even one where the spiritual atmosphere was almost completely depleted.

But there was a problem,His body was not merely weak. Its meridians had been damaged by years of neglect, poor nutrition, and repeated physical abuse.

Every attempt to draw in spiritual energy caused sharp pain to spread through his limbs.

He continued anyway,pain was a small price to pay for survival.

He guided the first thread of energy through his lower abdomen, then slowly toward the centre of his chest. His breathing became measured. His heartbeat steadied.

A thin warmth spread through his body.Then the energy broke apart.Xuan Tian opened his eyes.

"How disappointing."

In his former life, he had once rebuilt his entire body after a battle with a celestial dragon. Yet he was struggling to repair the meridians of an ordinary human teenager.The world had changed,His body had changed.He would have to adapt.

He tried again this time, he drew in less energy and allowed it to circulate naturally instead of forcing it through damaged pathways.

The warmth returned,a small current moved through his abdomen, then travelled down his right leg.

He felt a sharp sting.One blocked meridian opened.

The breakthrough was almost insignificant, but it was enough to make him smile,The first stage of cultivation had begun.

He continued until sunrise.By the time he stood, his clothes were damp with sweat. His muscles still ached, but his breathing felt easier, and the headache left by the previous day's beating had diminished.

His body was improving slowly.Not nearly fast enough.

A knock sounded at the door,"Cooper? Are you awake?" Margaret called.

He opened it,His mother stood outside holding a plate of bread and eggs.

"You didn't eat much last night," she said. "You need to keep your strength up."

He accepted the plate."Thank you."

She studied him with a worried expression."You frightened us yesterday."

"I know."

"Your father says we should move somewhere else before those men return. I don't know how we will afford it, but we can stay with my sister for a while."

Xuan Tian placed the plate on his desk,"Mother, how much money do we actually owe?"

Margaret hesitated."The original loan was eight million naira. Your father's transport business was doing well then. When his accident happened, we missed several payments. The interest increased, and Mr Vane offered us another loan to keep the business running,"And now they claim twenty-eight million?"

She nodded,"We have paid them nearly twelve million over the years. But every payment seems to create another charge."

Xuan Tian's expression darkened,A debt that increased regardless of repayment was not a legitimate business arrangement. It was a mechanism of control.

"Do you have the loan documents?"

Margaret looked surprised."Some of them. Why?"

"I want to see them."

She gave a tired sigh,"Your father has tried to understand those papers for months. We even visited a lawyer, but we couldn't afford to continue."

"Let me read them."

For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to argue.Then she nodded."After breakfast."

When she left, Xuan Tian looked down at the food.

He had not needed ordinary meals for centuries. His body had absorbed energy directly from the universe.

Now he was hungry enough to eat everything on the plate,He found the experience unexpectedly amusing.

At school that morning, the atmosphere changed when Cooper walked through the gate.

Students whispered. Some stared openly. Others moved aside. News of what had happened the previous day had spread quickly.

Victor Hayes stood beside the entrance with two friends.

His wrist was wrapped in a bandage.When he saw Cooper, he stepped forward."You think you're some kind of hero now?"

Xuan Tian kept walking.

Victor blocked his path."My father owns half the businesses in this district. You embarrassed me yesterday. Do you know what that means?"

"It means you are still standing in my way."

A few students laughed before quickly covering their mouths.

Victor's face reddened."You'll pay for this."

"Everyone keeps telling me that."Xuan Tian looked him in the eye."Find something more original."

He walked past,Victor did not follow.

For the rest of the morning, Xuan Tian focused on understanding the world. He studied the lessons, examined the strange electronic devices students used, and quietly gathered information about the school.

He discovered that modern education was far more advanced in some fields than the systems he remembered from his former world. Mathematics, physics, medicine, and engineering had developed along entirely different paths.

Yet when he searched the school's library for anything concerning spiritual energy, he found almost nothing.

The few references described it as folklore,Ancient legends.Unverified claims.

One book, however, caught his attention.

It was an old volume on the history of Westbridge City. Most of its pages were ordinary historical records, but a paragraph mentioned a mysterious underground chamber discovered during the construction of the city's first railway.

The workers had reported unusual lights and severe electrical disturbances.The project had been abandoned,The chamber was sealed.

Xuan Tian read the passage twice,A place where ordinary equipment failed could indicate a natural spiritual anomaly.He memorised the location.

That evening, he returned home and examined the loan documents his mother had collected.

His expression grew colder with every page.

The debt had been repeatedly refinanced. Several fees appeared to have been added without clear explanations, and the repayment records were inconsistent.

He could not yet determine whether the documents were forged or merely exploitative. He would need independent verification.

But one fact was obvious,Marcus Vane did not want the Williams to repay their debt,He wanted to keep them trapped.

Xuan Tian closed the folder."Very well," he murmured. "Let us see how powerful this man truly is."

Outside, a black vehicle slowed beside the William family home.

A man in the passenger seat lifted his phone and took several photographs of the building.

Then he called his employer,"Mr Vane, we have confirmed it. The boy is home."

A pause followed,"What happened to the three men I sent?"

"They were beaten."

Another silence.

Then Marcus Vane spoke."Bring me everything you can find about that boy."

His voice became icy,"And if he thinks he can challenge me,make sure he understands the cost."